You know something special has happened when your all-conference defender soars across midfield and executes a string of backflips to celebrate a teammate’s goal.
The sight of senior back Josie Curran flipping out may be the most enduring image from Williamstown High School’s huge opening-day victory over arch-rival Kingsway, but a pair of sophomores had a big hand in delivering the signature win.
Angela Oliveto scored the game’s only goal with just over eight minutes left to play, and Makala Baker anchored a stellar defensive effort as the Braves held off the Dragons, 1-0, in a Tri-County Conference Royal Division girls soccer showdown on Wednesday afternoon in Williamstown.
The Braves avenged a pair of losses to the Dragons last season, including a 2-1 setback on opening day.
“They’ve been a rival ever since I’ve been here,” said veteran Williamstown coach Dan Torcasio. “Last year they got us twice and we saw they came into today ranked higher than us, which is well-deserved, but our girls stepped up. In the first half we bent, bent, bent but didn’t break and we made a couple adjustments in the second half and were able to put one in.”
Although Kingsway had a big advantage in possession time, it was Williamstown that broke the ice with 8:20 left to play as Adrianna Cirucci took a feed at the left side of the net and one-timed a left-footed cross that a charging Oliveto fired home for the game-winner, setting off a spirited celebration that included a grand entrance by Curran.
“She does (flips) in practice – she’s just a little crazy,” Williamstown keeper Madison Schill said of Curran, who joined Baker and fellow senior Sophia White on a back line that limited Kingsway’s chances from inside the box.
For a defensive-minded team that probably won’t score a lot of goals, Oliveto could end up playing a key role this season.
“She has been playing center mid, and late in the game if we need some offense, she’s one of the more skilled players up there and we push her up and she makes things happen,” Torcasio said.
A year ago, Oliveto tied for the team lead in goals with four.
“I realized that once we were able to keep them with no goals in the first half and our defense was great, I was like ‘Wow, we have a chance,’” Oliveto said. “If we could just find some offense, we had a chance. (Cirucci) gave me a perfect pass right to the middle.
“We were all so excited for this game. We were definitely confident that we could come out with a victory.”
The Dragons had scoring chances throughout the game as Schill kept busy with 10 saves, but they just couldn’t finish.
“When you play a great team like Williamstown it comes down to execution and on the one play we didn’t really execute, they scored,” Kingsway coach Bill Alvaro said. “Every time we play Williamstown it’s going to be a one-goal game because they play hard and their defense is strong. This game was a good test for their defense and ours.
“The effort was there for us – we just have to finish better. If we do, we have a good year ahead of us.”
With this win, the Braves are already off to a great start and they’ll need stellar defense to survive a mine field of a schedule.
Baker, who started as a freshman, has emerged as a calming presence from her center back post. Flanked by the steady White and Curran, she calmly moved the ball out of harm’s way throughout the game.
“That’s what everyone says but I don’t see it,” Baker said. “In my head, I’m panicking but I guess my face doesn’t show it.”
“She’s so composed,” Torcasio said. “She doesn’t get rattled and doesn’t give the ball away. She and (Curran) just complement each other so well. She knows that Josie’s going to make runs and she kind of solidifies the back.”
Schill also had a strong game taking charge of loose balls and keeping the Dragons from getting any rebound opportunities.
“It’s a team shutout,” Schill said. “I perform for them and they perform for me, so we work as a team. I love a game like this. I love the competition.”
The Braves won’t have long to savor their victory.
After playing Timber Creek on Friday, they have a string of games against some heavyweights, including Delsea, Clearview, Ocean City and GCIT. They’ll have a rematch with Kingsway at the end of the month.
“I told them to enjoy this for 24 hours, they deserve it, but tomorrow we get back to work to get ready for Timber Creek,” Torcasio said. “We don’t have the luxury of taking any games off.”
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